In this time of isolation and social distancing, people seeking romantic love and intimacy feel the likelihood of another year being single. It is pretty tough to meet new people when stuck at home, socializing only with friends and family. Gone are the days of spontaneous night outs or the carefree approach of a stranger.
For many people, dating is the last thing on their minds. But others still acknowledge how keeping distance has been lonely at times. Considering the hazards of the COVID-19, people choose to stay a respectable distance, thinking that anyone can contract the virus. As a result, many singles have been slowing down their dating games to prevent risking their health.
Meanwhile, some women think that the current social climate is a good time to date, considering that the pressures of sleeping around are off the table. People take the time to connect in dating apps and matchmaking websites to get to know potential partners on a deeper level, instead of jumping around from one person to another.
Basically, the physical distance offers a wonderful time to connect with strangers emotionally before moving towards the physical. Amid big social issues, such as racial injustice and global health crisis, the current dating environment has provided bigger opportunities for worthwhile conversations, which you cannot often find in most blind dates.
Virtual dating
It is not surprising that staying home led many seeking singles to find potential dates online while embracing virtual dates and trying new things. In fact, dates have entirely transformed these days. Plenty of first dates are happening on social media sites like Facebook and video conference apps like Zoom. If potential matches get along well, both parties can meet up for walks or a coffee date.
Aside from dating apps, there are also dating events such as Single in the City. It is a matchmaking service that hosts virtual speed dating events during this pandemic. Participants can speak to other singles for five minutes before moving to another potential candidate. The participants will decide who they want to meet again.
According to Priti Joshi from Bumble India, virtual dating has become the new norm for singles and those looking for prospective marriage partners. This resulted in the rise of video communication platforms during the pandemic, as more people are using all tools available to get to know people.
Video calls have become great ways to gauge a person’s personality. You get to see how they dress, their smile, and the way they carry themselves. Thus, video chats eliminate wasted time as it reveals any brewing chemistry.
The complexities of dating apps
Virtual dating also led many singles to become creative on online dates. Both people can watch a Netflix movie together using an app that syncs the film for each viewer while allowing them to converse while watching. Thus, virtual dating allowed singles to spend more time with their dates than they would at normal times. The kind of connection they form gives them an idea of whether their dates make a potential partner.
On the other hand, online dating has also paved the way for a series of whirlwind romances and short-lived relationships. A potential match can blossom quickly and move fast at the same time. You can invest plenty of time with a match only to find that both of you have no chemistry when you finally meet.
It is also worth pointing out that virtual dating apps come with their own gruesome reality of disappointment, rejection, being ghosted and catfished, and empty responses. This led some people to be extremely careful about meeting strangers in person.
The new normal
While there has been a huge surge in dating apps, there is no certainty that this new dating trend will last long. Over the years, some people are moving away from online dating and finding other ways of connecting and meeting people. Once everything is safe to be more socially interactive, online dating will likely decline again.
People are social creatures, and the pandemic has led many to change how we connect with people. But once the cloud of COVID-19 finally fades away, in-person dating will certainly surge once again. The physical distance has made everyone pent up their long-standing plans to connect physically. When the green light goes on again, people will go out of their way to meet strangers again just like they normally do.
The pandemic has been an incredibly difficult time for many people, but singles have been surprisingly optimistic when it comes to virtual dating. It has paved the way for more people to look for serious relationships while taking the time and effort to value emotional connection. Until then, people should still take extra precautions when meeting strangers with or without a pandemic.